Britney Spears has left the US X Factor, according to the BBC.

Intense speculation has been rife over the past few days that the pop princess has quit her job as a judge on the show.

Some sections of the media even suggested that she would have been sacked if she hadn't left.

The BBC, however, now reports that the singer will not be returning to the show's second series, joining record executive L.A. Reid in leaving the programme.

They say that Spears is set to concentrate on working on new material, which the singer alluded to on Twitter recently.

The '...Baby One More Time' star signed up as a judge in 2012 but faced criticism for her performance on the show.